The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1887-02-23
VOL. III.
THE SINS OF THE SENATE.
An Explanation of the Course of Th,
Body on tho "lyrjctIIturnI Uiits -

mas written letter to tho News an,
Courier, defending the action of tn,
State Senate on different matters con
sldered at the recent session. After re
viewing tho articles of the several critics
who have published their views in th,
newspapers, Senator Youmnus says:
In resume of this chapter OF fault
hnding we note three specific complaint,
against the Senate: The omasculation ot
the bill providing for experimental sta
tlons; tho rejection OF tho resolution
providing for travelling committee &c
investigate the moduS opcrandi Of ngri
cultural colleges in other States: tn,
postponcment of tho bill to roorgauiZt
tho department OF agriculture. Lnst,
the bill to provide for experimental st4.
tions was manned in thu House and il,
original design frustrated by an amend.
mont providing for two stations instead
OF one, as at first intcndcd. The mtcn.
ton OF the fiamer of this bill was 10 iayc
1t follow III It's passage the liil TO rcor-
ganlzo the department Of agriculture.
and that the $4,000 appropriated be ex-
pended under the auspices OF n now
board OF agriculture upon one station.
with the view of making it n basis For
the ultimate establishment of IN agricu-
tlrai and mechanical college. The bill
10 rcor8anlHG the department of agricul-
turc having bc,n postponed by the Son
atc, ana the amendment to this bill
having been adopted by the House con
trary to the expectation Of its author.
thus Shorn of that symmetry uf its sur
rioundln8s, crudcly amended in the
hurry of Ot legislation, was sent to the
Senate, lncongruous III shape and incor-
rect even III its phraseology All tho
senate proposed to do except to strike
out the provisions for the travelling com
mlttec, which, | will state en- passant,
was an amendment proposed by q
Charleston lawyer, and not contaminated
In the original bill, and which amend
mont on the part of the Senate was after
wards accepted by the House, was to
mako the bill conform to its altered sur
roundings- attempts to eject which
think were afterwards improYpd upon
by n committee OF conference with the
approval Of the Senate.
Second. Also the rejection b. the
Senate OF Representative BraWicy's rcso-
luton providing for travClm% commit
tee to investigate the practica. operations
OF agricultural colleges III Other States,
the Senate had already passed n bill the
provisions OF which instructed the board
OF agriculture to take into careful con
sldcnuon the plans, specifications, cost.
&c., OF the erection of an &rricultural
college, and did not see the prrpricty of
passing this resolution, appointing, i'm
addition to what it had alrcaly done, a.
committee TO further investigate. with
out any limit rs to what this inycstiga-
ton was to cost Indeed, 50 Gan as tho
provisions of this resolution were con
ccrned, the committee thus appoiutcd
could have travelled the whole Year until
the next session and have cXpcn led many
thousands OF dollars.
Third. OF the three complaints, the
dissatisfaction Of Captain lilman and
his allies has been manifested most
plainly, perhaps, towards the postpone
ment by the Senate OF the bill to rcor-
8&nlHe the department OF agriculture, the
passage OF which, says Dr. Ilndal, would
make the Farmers movement" one of
the departments Of the State Govern
mcnt.
Shortly after the introduction Of this
bill into the House, and some time be-
fore it reached its second reading, as Il
planter and chairman og the Senate com
mlttec on agriculture ! approached DIR.
TindaI, the author of the bill, to asccr-
tain what was sought to be accomplished
by it. When informed that the object
was to increase the board of agriculture
and to populalIac it by bringing it closer
to the people, | proposed, if lie would
modify the bill so rs to increase the
board by the election at the then present
session OF the Legislature Of nm addi-
tlonal member from each OF the five un-
represented Congressional districts and
the election of five more at The next
session, when the terms OF the present
board would expire, and we could act
without any disrcSpcct to tic present
board, | would unite with him to secure
the passage Of the bill; but | positively
declined, after what | considered rcck-
less and fallacious charges Of cxtruva-
gancc and lncompctency repeatedly pre-
ferrcd against the present board and
commissioner of agriculture, to support
any measure looking TO their curt and
unceremonious dismissal from Office. I
further proposed TO Dr. Tindal, if it was
the real interest of the farmers he was
seeking, to introduce Joint resolution
irstructing the State treasurer to refund
to the department of agriculture all
moneys arising from the license tax,
which had been expended for general
State purposes, to be applied by the
board OF agriculture for tho benefit OF
tho farmers, upon experimental stations.
/ soon became aware, however, that in
stead OF the Advancement of the real in.
terest of tic farmers through the regular
channels of legislation, tho first and inn
mediete object sought to be accomplish
ed by the prime factors of this agitation
was, as DR.. Tindal has since 80 lucidlv
stated in his interview with n reporter OF
tho News and Courier, published on the
18th ult., to place the board OF agricul-
lure at the head Of the Farmers move
ment," as it is called, to act in tho
capacity OF bureau for tho organization
of the farmers, upon plan SO thorough
and complete as to commence, like the
organization of the Democracy, with
clubs. Imagine such an organization
perfected. Tho department OF agricul-
ture converted into bureau OF organiza-
tion with its headquarters at Columbia,